FCPS: Third-grade SOL reading up 1 point but division not on track; gaps persist for multilingual and disadvantaged students

Fairfax County School Board work-session staff reported modest gains but persistent disparities in third-grade reading outcomes, saying last year’s SOL pass rate rose 1 percentage point from the baseline but remained below the division’s annual target.

Why it matters: Third-grade reading is a strategic priority because students move from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” at that grade; proficiency there correlates with later outcomes such as advanced-course persistence and on-time graduation.

Staff said the division’s overall third-grade SOL pass rate increased 1 percentage point from the baseline and that no student group was within five percentage points of the division average, evidence of wide disparities. Presentation slides and staff commentary singled out multilingual learners as having the lowest pass rates and noted that 60 percent of students who did not pass were economically disadvantaged. VAAP participants (students on alternate assessments) showed a decline from baseline in a very small sample (60 students) reported in the full report.

During the presentation, staff described a three-part strategy of universal, school-targeted and student-targeted actions: adoption this year of a common K–6 literacy curriculum (Benchmark Advance), universal screening and progress monitoring (iReady and new state primary-grade screeners), expansion of Project Momentum to support low-growth schools, Lexia Core5 for differentiated practice, and additional summer learning and Title I-funded staffing where needs are large. The division also named a dyslexia specialist and described training for teachers who work with students on adapted curricula.

On the timeline for results, Dr. Sonia Presidio, Chief Academic Officer, told the board the Benchmark Advance adoption is “the first year of implementation” and that the earliest measurable impact on large-scale measures could appear by the end of this school year but that “it’s gonna take more years, before we see results.” She added that transition to a new curriculum can initially show an “implementation dip” before improvement.

Board members pressed for more near-term indicators that staff are tracking in real time; staff said they have expanded curriculum-based common assessments and an internal dashboard (in addition to statewide SOL reporting) so schools can act on assessment data during the year. Dr. Presidio and colleagues said I‑Ready midyear benchmarks already show 4–5 percentage point growth in the share of third graders on track to pass the SOL, a signal they described as promising but preliminary.

What staff emphasized as immediate next steps were (1) continuing implementation of the Benchmark Advance curriculum and related professional development, (2) using universal screeners and common assessments to identify students for individualized reading plans and 2½ hours per week of additional intervention where needed, (3) targeted supports for multilingual learners including Benchmark Express (an English-language development resource aligned to the core literacy curriculum) and Project GLAAD strategies, (4) supports for students with disabilities including dyslexia advisors and training for staff who adapt the curriculum, and (5) continued monitoring by the reading-by-third-grade goal innovation team.

Board members asked staff for additional reports on intersectional subgroup numbers (for example Hispanic students who are not multilingual learners) and for more explicit, public-facing dashboards that show near-term indicators staff are watching.

Ending note: Staff stressed that last year’s SOL data reflect assessment events that occurred before many of this year’s literacy changes were in place; they said more comprehensive, multi-year evidence will be needed to judge the full effect of the new curriculum and supports.